Fear is in the air these days. If you believe everything you read on Social Media, it would appear that the fear of running out of toilet paper is fast outpacing climate change and a pandemic flu virus. But I digress…. What I really want to pontificate on, is that much of what motivates us towards growth and self-improvement feels like an act of love but actually has deep tap roots in fear.
We fear not being accepted – therefore we vow to do better. We fear that we are missing out – so we strive to do more. We fear illness and decline – thus we navigate the world with our nervous systems on high alert for potential threats. This primal instinct is innate; it is essential to the continuation of our species. Fear is a stealth teacher that burns memories into our psyche which serve as guidance for the future. Some fear is normal and healthy, but too often fear becomes the All-Knowing-Commander-in-Chief on our journey through this life. What happens when we make all our decisions solely based on fear?
Given the power, fear will limit us and keep us small. Fear is hardwired to keep us safe and there is safety in smallness. Fear will convince us that our authentic selves are vulnerable; fear will convince us to hide behind a mask. Fear stirs anxiety and fuels dread: it is the ultimate roadblock to peace of mind.
Commander Fear will insidiously and unapologetically take over our executive functions and hack all rationale for decision making. Everywhere we look, fear is planted and watered in the gardens of our neural pathways. You only have to scroll the headlines to spark that uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach which ignites anxiety. We unconsciously catastrophize our way through life trying to outrun, outthink and outsmart fear.
Often, the focus for motivational self-improvement leans toward a punitive lens when you put it under the microscope of truth. In the healing world, living life from a preventative stance is viewed positively and encouraged. Generally, however, the preventative lens will motivate us by highlighting all the scary reasons why we “should” or “should not” do…(fill in the blanks). This strategy pretty much serves to frighten us into compliance and keep us focused on the potential adverse outcomes if we don’t follow script.
Peruse any best-selling book on nutrition and you will read all the potentially undesirable things that could happen to you if you don’t adopt that protocol. Have you also noticed that each and every Author claims to have the “one” answer to all worldly ills which seemingly contradicts all the other volumes that have also shared best seller status? While macronutrient intake can differ greatly from book to book, the common thread that weaves them altogether, is that they shift the reader away from a processed food diet and guides them toward a whole food approach to eating. Another truth here is that the Author wholeheartedly believes in their practice which is part of the magic formula to success. Body follows mind; our thoughts shape our reality.
Navigating the expansive waters of health know-how can be confusing. Often, just when you think you have an answer, the winds of change will blow you in a completely different direction. Rather than bob around like a cork in the sea of confusion, I would encourage you to ease up the tension on your sail and set your compass to a sense of trust and gratitude. Your body has been with you from the day you were born and without conscious effort, it has managed to get you to this moment…it knows exactly what it needs to do. We just need to stop letting fear run the show and stop throwing inferior fuel into the system.
When we act out of fear, we block the energetic pathways that create flow and ease. Fear is a contractive energy that will keep us treading water in survival mode never fully able to break free from the riptide that has stalled us out. Whether you are healing from a broken heart or heart disease, focus not on the brokenness, but feel into the sense of wholeness and wellness. Listen to your body and choose a modality or protocol that resonates with you. If confusion or doubt is clouding your intuition, find a natural health practitioner or councillor that can help you hone a new regime.
Choose a plant based diet or just include more plants into your diet; be vegan, vegetarian, paleo, carnivorous or creative…but honour your body by choosing foods from a place of compassion and grace. Of utmost importance is to love yourself; only through love we can expand and truly thrive.
“Sweet Darkness”
When your eyes are tired
the world is tired also.
When your vision has gone,
no part of the world can find you.
Time to go into the dark
where the night has eyes
to recognize its own.
There you can be sure
you are not beyond love.
The dark will be your home
tonight.
The night will give you a horizon
further than you can see.
You must learn one thing.
The world was made to be free in.
Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.
Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.
~David Whyte
anewthreshold.org 